July 7, 2008 | Groceries, Hot Hot Hot!

Good morning! I hope you had a restful and relaxing holiday weekend. I know that I did. Also, I may or may not have eaten my own weight in junk food. Hard to say (without incriminating myself, that is).

Now the holiday’s over and it’s back to real life… which is why I was delighted to see that if you spend $49 on eligible Kashi products at Amazon, you can use coupon code KASHI333 to take $20 off your total.

Buy 4 of the Honey Almond Flax cereal 4-pack bundles, for example, and it works out to just $1.87 per box.

Not that you need any “Go Lean.” You look fabulous. But it is a great deal.

July 1, 2008 | Groceries, Hot Hot Hot!

The July crop of Amazon grocery deals has arrived, and you know which one immediately caught my eye, right? Red Bone Alley spice rubs and aiolis. Mmmmmm mmm mmm.

They’re already marked down, and coupon code REDBONE2 will give you an additional 40% off. I say you pick a rub and pick a complimentary sauce, then place your order knowing that at less than $4 a pair, delivered, you’ll have some to use at home and the rest ready to go in gift bags to keep you in hostess gifts for the rest of the season. Score!

June 26, 2008 | Groceries, Hot Hot Hot!

I know it’s not particularly creative or new, but I do love to give a nice collection of tea as a gift. It’s an ideal all-purpose offering; it’s relatively small and odorless (I’m looking at you, scented candles), it’s the sort of thing that most folks will enjoy and even those who won’t can then offer it to their guests, and it’s neither overly hippie-ish with the so-healthy vibe nor so decadent that it may be misconstrued by someone either on a diet or following a healthy lifestyle.

So these eligible Bentley tea chests at Amazon—most around 25% off, already—are looking pretty appealing to me. Coupon code TEAGIFT5 takes another 50% off, and the end result is what only looks like an expensive gift.

Or pick up one for yourself. I don’t judge.

June 19, 2008 | Groceries, Hot Hot Hot!

Maybe it’s because the average summer temperature here in Georgia is “Hot Enough To Fry A Dog’s Brain” (anyone remember that commercial? anyone?), but when I stumbled across this deal I was immediately thirsty.

Right now at Amazon, buy any variety of Big Train drink mixes and take $10 off your purchase with coupon code BIGTRAIN through the end of June.

Not only do they sound delicious, you get 12 canisters in an order. Pop those puppies in a pretty bag with some funky straws and you’ve got a great teacher’s gift, no?

June 11, 2008 | Groceries, Hot Hot Hot!

It looks like Amazon’s grocery clearance (started last month) is continuing on, which is good news if you, like me, find great joy in buying bulk amounts of food for pennies on the dollar. Yes! Snacks for everyone!

Check out the clearance grocery items—many of which are already deeply discounted—and then apply coupon code MAYGRCCL for an additional $10 off purchases of $25+.

Maximize your savings by getting your total as close to $25 as possible, of course. Like, say, with these all-natural popchips? (Attention moms of children with orthodonture: This is a great alternative to the forbidden popcorn. Just sayin’.) 12 bags for $15 shipped. That’s a lot of snacking!

By the way, don’t fear the expirations dates on clearanced food items at Amazon. Very rarely I’ve gotten expired items from them, and they’ve always refunded my money (and told me to just throw out the items). No hassles.

Groceries, Quick Tips

Do you do your grocery shopping at Kroger? Through the end of July, they’re offering a bonus 10% on all in-store purchased gift cards in the amounts of $300, $600, or $1200.

I know it seems like a lot of money to lay out up front, but if you do most of your food shopping there and can afford this, it’s an easy way to save 10% on your groceries over the next few months.

(I’m torn, because these days I do most of my shopping at Publix. I pop into Kroger for shelf-stable stuff now and then, though, so I will probably go ahead and buy a $300 card….)

June 9, 2008 | Everyday Wisdom, Groceries, Questions Answered

The very pretty Laura writes:

Dear Mir,

If you have the time and space to tackle this topic, I’d be forever in your debt (at a 0% APR, hopefully…) because my husband and I are hoping to baptize our two kids sometime this summer. What I’ve learned from hosting their birthday parties (they are 4 & 2) is that, even with a short guest list and an eye on the bottom line, the cost of having even a simple, casual gathering always ends up blowing past the original budget.

I know you’ll have some sage advice, and I’m sure your readers will also chime in with a gaggle of great ideas.

Thanks, in advance, for your help…

This is my kind of question, because I’m all about entertaining on a budget. Let’s get to it. (more…)

June 4, 2008 | Groceries, Hot Hot Hot!

You’d have to have a lot of snackers in your house (or a team to feed, like maybe at baseball?), but check this one out: Right now at Amazon, 12 14-count packages of organic raisins are marked down to just $25.20. Apply coupon code MAYGRCCL for another $10 off, and it’ll still qualify for free Super Saver Shipping, but you’ll be paying $15.20 for 168 boxes of raisins. That’s less than a dime a box!

And who doesn’t love raisins? Communists, that’s who.

June 2, 2008 | Groceries, Hot Hot Hot!

I am not generally a potato chip person, but I’ll confess I have a real weakness for kettle-cooked chips. I’m not sure whether it’s the super-crisp texture or the fact that they seem to have more salt than regular chips (mmmm… salt), but I am a fool for ‘em. Especially the Sea Salt & Vinegar ones. Now you know my secret!

Anyway. While I’m generally an advocate of reaching for the carrot sticks rather than the chips, sometimes you’ve just got to have the chips. Am I right? Yes. (Also, sometimes you throw a party and need a lot of chips.)

So check out this June grocery deal at Amazon: Right now eligible Kettle Chips are already marked 38% off, and if you buy any of them you can use coupon code KETTLE45 to take another 40% off. The end result is some delicious snacky goodness for less than the inferior, store-brand chips.

I have to go get something to wipe the drool off my keyboard, now.

May 28, 2008 | Groceries, Hot Hot Hot!

So, you know that Amazon does a new crop of grocery deals every month, right? But it can be hard to keep track of what deals are on when, and which things that qualify for promotional discounts are on sale.

That’s why you have me! I check this stuff obsessively, because I really need to get a life and possibly a hobby or two. Ahem.

Anyway! Right now there’s a deal on eligible grocery brands like Kellogg’s and Keebler where you can take $20 off your $49+ purchase. That’s pretty good, anyway, but there’s a number of available products that are already on sale, making it a great way to make your grocery dollars go even further.

Also, cookies don’t have any calories when you buy them on sale. I’m sure I read that somewhere….